Dodgers rally past Tigers after Tarik Skubals emotional Detroit homecoming

DETROIT –– The first time Tarik Skubal laid eyes upon Comerica Park again, he did it with a smile.Three hours before first pitch on Friday, in the build-up to an emotional return to his old home ballpark a month after being traded to the Dodgers, Skubal emerged from an unfamiliar visiting clubhouse to scan the most familiar of ballpark settings.First, he looked around from the dugout. Then, he climbed the stairs to the infield.In the distance, a group of his former Tigers teammates were warming up in the outfield, including ex-rotation partner Jackson Jobe.When they made eye contact, Skubal grinned and yelled his way, playfully flipping him a one-fingered hello.

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By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.Never miss a story For a brief moment, it all felt so normal.Over the rest of Friday night, little else would for the two-time reigning Cy Young Award winner.“This is probably going to be the toughest one, I think, as far as emotions,” manager Dave Roberts said of Skubal’s homecoming start pregame.

“He spent eight years here with these guys.Some of his best friends are on this ballclub still.”Indeed, in the Dodgers’ 2-1 win over the Tigers, Skubal rode a wave of raw feelings through a six-inning, one-run, seven-strikeout start.There was a chest-tap and, it appeared, some teary eyes from the left-hander as he watched a scoreboard tribute video while walking out of the bullpen ahead of first pitch.There was one standing ovation from the crowd as he proceeded into the dugout before the game, then another as he reappeared in the bottom of the first to begin his first start against what had been –– up until a blockbuster trade-deadline deal to the Dodgers four weeks ago –– the only team he’d ever known.California Post News: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok,...